Parliament moves closer to impeaching ex-Delhi HC judge Yashwant Varma after Rs 500 notes found burnt at home. Speaker Om Birla set to form inquiry panel soon.
New Delhi: The impeachment process against Justice Yashwant Varma, a former judge of the Delhi High Court, has officially begun in Parliament after 145 Members of Parliament (MPs) signed a memorandum demanding action.
Justice Varma came under scrutiny after bundles of half-burnt Rs 500 currency notes were discovered at his official residence following a fire in March this year.
Speaker Om Birla is expected to take the next step in the process by setting up an inquiry committee, likely as early as tomorrow.
According to sources, the inquiry committee will include a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of a High Court, and a well-known jurist.
This committee will be responsible for investigating the allegations made against Justice Varma. The findings of the committee are expected to be submitted during the upcoming winter session of Parliament.
Once the committee is formed, it will outline the specific charges against Justice Varma. A copy of the allegations will be handed over to him, and he will be given an opportunity to submit his written response.
The next phase may involve interrogation or cross-examination of witnesses, if necessary. After a thorough investigation, the committee will present its final report to Parliament.
This report will be discussed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Justice Varma will be given a chance to explain his side of the story during these discussions.
If both houses of Parliament are satisfied with the findings, they will proceed to vote on the impeachment. The Constitution requires either a simple majority of the total membership of each House or a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting for the impeachment motion to pass.
If the motion is approved in both houses, the President of India will then issue an official order to remove the judge from office.
This entire procedure is part of a detailed and rare constitutional process. In fact, no judge in the history of Independent India has been impeached so far.
In the past, there have been five similar cases, but in each case, the judge chose to resign before the process could reach its final stages.
Justice Yashwant Varma was brought into the spotlight after a mysterious fire occurred at his residence on March 14.
During the fire rescue and cleanup operation, officials discovered stacks of half-burnt Rs 500 currency notes, which triggered serious concerns and raised questions about the integrity of the judiciary.
Though Justice Varma strongly denied any wrongdoing, the incident created a public uproar and invited intense media attention.
In response to this controversy, then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna took immediate action and ordered an internal judicial inquiry. A three-judge panel was set up under the Supreme Court’s in-house procedure to probe the matter.
The panel eventually confirmed that large amounts of cash were indeed found at Justice Varma’s residence.
Following their report, Chief Justice Khanna forwarded the findings to the Prime Minister and the President.
He also recommended that removal proceedings be initiated under the Judges Inquiry Act and Article 124(4) of the Constitution of India.
The impeachment motion has since gained significant political momentum. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had earlier revealed, “100 MPs Have Signed”, referring to the initial support the motion received.
Now that 145 MPs have backed the motion, the Speaker is set to “carry the ball further” by moving towards the formation of the inquiry committee.
The case has become a major test for India’s judicial accountability mechanism and the robustness of the impeachment procedure under the Constitution.
While this constitutional safeguard ensures judges are protected from frivolous charges, it also provides a method to uphold the dignity and credibility of the judiciary when serious allegations surface.
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